A sunny, crisp winter morning here. Waiting for the boiler engineer to arrive. What is the betting that they arrive right at the end of the 4-hour slot so I can't crack on and enjoy the lovely weather to the maximum?
Beautiful photo @Biglad So lovely to see the sun on a winter's day. We are having beautiful calm weather down here although -1°C this morning. Due for a change over the weekend!
@Busy-Lizzie I hope your next two weeks are a happy Christmas time and that the weather is clement for lots of walks! The news for travellers to France doesn't help your situation re OH. Will you be able to go over to him after the festive season?
@D0rdogne_Damsel Wonderful cakes - no wonder your little business is so popular! What devotion!! I bet Charlie was happy to take those cupcakes to school!
Did some tidying up in the garden this morning. Muscles crying a bit after last night's exercises class (Floor Ballet) but I'm getting there. 2 weeks holiday now, I'll have forgotten the movements by the beginning of January.
I do daily LFTs for work, as I am mask exempt. Work supply them. I wear a vizer in shops. I know that they are not as good as masks, but, in my opinion, they are better than nothing.
I had PCR tests to go to and from Belgium last year and did the isolation periods. PCR tests here are free to people who are fully jabbed. LFTs are not a thing here for people like us. I haven't been pinged as a contact of someone infected either. If I go to public gatherings I have my temperature taken but private stuff like golf, patch group and dancing are exempt - but need a Covid pass - and no-one can go in a shop or pubic transport without their mask since March 2020 and there are hand and trolley sanitisers so we've been a lot less blasé about spreading infection here. Everyone I mix with, including Possum, is now triple jabbed or will be by next week.
I expect LFTs are normal for people going to work or school but not pensioners.
Have a lovely time with family @Busy-Lizzie. Yes @punkdoc, better get a wiggle on. Today we took advantage or pre Xmas panic prices and bought a capon, a guinea fowl and a frozen leg of NZ lamb so we have options thru the festive period tho Xmas dinner is always duck breast here with a red wine and juniper berry sauce and gratin dauphinois. Have taken a tail of salmon out of the freezer to make gravadlax and we have prawns and scallops in the freezer so next week we just need fresh fruit and veg and maybe some cream.
Started off sunny here but has clouded over and turned very windy. More tree decorating for me then.
Stay safe everyone, whatever you're doing.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@chicky - I just have one daughter and I always wanted her to feel that she had a home with me, no matter how old she was. That culminated in her and her partner and their 2 babies staying with us for 5 months when they left Spain and were looking for work and a place of their own. I think after that (we live in a v. small house!) we realised that for the sake of our relationship we ought never to live in the same house together again! But we would be gutted if we couldn't see each other at Christmas. @Dove - that is very strange indeed. Your neighbour must have known you before, a long time ago and your previous married name has just stuck with her. That's a relief @punkdoc - and how lovely to have your Moira back with you soon. Lovely looking cakes @D0rdogne_Damsel. Sorry that the new restrictions means that your OH can't join you for Christmas @Busy-Lizzie. And @Hostafan1 - huge, huge hugs to you.
We all thought last Christmas that this Christmas would be different didn't we?
We had our Christmas social last night - tables of 4 spaced apart, everyone in masks when we weren't at our tables (and for those of us serving the food), windows open... Despite all that and depleted numbers people did seem to enjoy themselves although I must admit the group of us in the kitchen washing up whilst the hand bell ringing was going on thought we got the better end of the deal. OH says they were good - but spoiled when the audience was encouraged to sing along. I did think there ought not to be any singing (they all had their masks off by this time, although still at their tables).
Our secretary made an appearance to help lock up. The poor man's poor wife has had a hell of time. She had surgery on her hip a few weeks ago. They went private but the local private hospital (the Spire @Dovefromabove) discharged her too soon M. thought. The wound got infected, she was patched up, the wound opened again and got infected again, she has had multiple epidurals and is now back in a hospital (NHS this time - the private hospitals just botch the ops and leave the NHS to clean up their mess; as they did with my husbands hernia). The poor woman has been hallucinating and goodness knows what. When she was home M. was advised to use a particular care agency who sent 6' black African male carers. M. said there was nothing wrong with them - but for a really sick, frightened and hallucinating 80 year old woman they were terrifying. Where are the nursing nuns when you need them!
When my Dad came round from the anaesthetic after his first op to remove a brain tumour, he said there were two nuns either side of him and he was certain he was dead
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Afternoon folks. I'm still trying to thaw out after going into town this morning for a haircut and pressie shopping. Our bus service is now appalling, had 30 mins wait in the cold each time. It used to be really good. Town and traffic very busy as I'd assumed so I didn't stay long, just did what I had to and managed to buy a rather lovely silver bangle for my daughter. Hope she likes it.
We have never done a LFT either, although I have a box in the cupboard for emergency use. I do think over-usage is a bit OTT, especially if the test is not considered fail safe.
Hope you enjoy your weekend with Daughter 2 @Busy-Lizzie, shame about the travel arrangements to France and OH but I expect that won't last long as France will most likely be inundated as well.
Send some of that sunshine down here please @Biglad.
MIL should be getting settled into the home, so if all goes well, Moira should be home in the next few days.
Now that we have cancelled our Christmas plans, needed to organise some food for the 2 of us, luckily managed to order a duck from our butcher, will just need to decide which of us is cooking. A friend of Moira's has a spare Christmas cake [ who has a spare one of those ] she is giving us. Plenty of wine in the house [ that is never an issue ], so I think everything will be fine.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Posts
First day this week that I don't have anything planned. Bliss. Now, what to do with my time . . .
A sunny, crisp winter morning here. Waiting for the boiler engineer to arrive. What is the betting that they arrive right at the end of the 4-hour slot so I can't crack on and enjoy the lovely weather to the maximum?
@Busy-Lizzie I hope your next two weeks are a happy Christmas time and that the weather is clement for lots of walks! The news for travellers to France doesn't help your situation re OH. Will you be able to go over to him after the festive season?
@D0rdogne_Damsel Wonderful cakes - no wonder your little business is so popular! What devotion!! I bet Charlie was happy to take those cupcakes to school!
Did some tidying up in the garden this morning. Muscles crying a bit after last night's exercises class (Floor Ballet) but I'm getting there. 2 weeks holiday now, I'll have forgotten the movements by the beginning of January.
No Christmas cake - but we love Christmas Pud!!
Have an enjoyable afternoon.
I expect LFTs are normal for people going to work or school but not pensioners.
Have a lovely time with family @Busy-Lizzie. Yes @punkdoc, better get a wiggle on. Today we took advantage or pre Xmas panic prices and bought a capon, a guinea fowl and a frozen leg of NZ lamb so we have options thru the festive period tho Xmas dinner is always duck breast here with a red wine and juniper berry sauce and gratin dauphinois. Have taken a tail of salmon out of the freezer to make gravadlax and we have prawns and scallops in the freezer so next week we just need fresh fruit and veg and maybe some cream.
Started off sunny here but has clouded over and turned very windy. More tree decorating for me then.
Stay safe everyone, whatever you're doing.
@Dove - that is very strange indeed. Your neighbour must have known you before, a long time ago and your previous married name has just stuck with her.
That's a relief @punkdoc - and how lovely to have your Moira back with you soon.
Lovely looking cakes @D0rdogne_Damsel.
Sorry that the new restrictions means that your OH can't join you for Christmas @Busy-Lizzie.
And @Hostafan1 - huge, huge hugs to you.
We all thought last Christmas that this Christmas would be different didn't we?
We had our Christmas social last night - tables of 4 spaced apart, everyone in masks when we weren't at our tables (and for those of us serving the food), windows open... Despite all that and depleted numbers people did seem to enjoy themselves although I must admit the group of us in the kitchen washing up whilst the hand bell ringing was going on thought we got the better end of the deal. OH says they were good - but spoiled when the audience was encouraged to sing along. I did think there ought not to be any singing (they all had their masks off by this time, although still at their tables).
Our secretary made an appearance to help lock up. The poor man's poor wife has had a hell of time. She had surgery on her hip a few weeks ago. They went private but the local private hospital (the Spire @Dovefromabove) discharged her too soon M. thought. The wound got infected, she was patched up, the wound opened again and got infected again, she has had multiple epidurals and is now back in a hospital (NHS this time - the private hospitals just botch the ops and leave the NHS to clean up their mess; as they did with my husbands hernia). The poor woman has been hallucinating and goodness knows what. When she was home M. was advised to use a particular care agency who sent 6' black African male carers. M. said there was nothing wrong with them - but for a really sick, frightened and hallucinating 80 year old woman they were terrifying. Where are the nursing nuns when you need them!
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I'm still trying to thaw out after going into town this morning for a haircut and pressie shopping. Our bus service is now appalling, had 30 mins wait in the cold each time. It used to be really good. Town and traffic very busy as I'd assumed so I didn't stay long, just did what I had to and managed to buy a rather lovely silver bangle for my daughter. Hope she likes it.
We have never done a LFT either, although I have a box in the cupboard for emergency use. I do think over-usage is a bit OTT, especially if the test is not considered fail safe.
Hope you enjoy your weekend with Daughter 2 @Busy-Lizzie, shame about the travel arrangements to France and OH but I expect that won't last long as France will most likely be inundated as well.
Send some of that sunshine down here please @Biglad.
Now that we have cancelled our Christmas plans, needed to organise some food for the 2 of us, luckily managed to order a duck from our butcher, will just need to decide which of us is cooking.
A friend of Moira's has a spare Christmas cake [ who has a spare one of those ] she is giving us.
Plenty of wine in the house [ that is never an issue ], so I think everything will be fine.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border